


I Don't Need The Light, My Kingdom Is The Night

by orphan_account



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark Loki (Marvel), Dark Tony Stark, F/M, Female Tony Stark, M/M, Merchant of Death Tony Stark, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Rating May Change, Seduction to the Dark Side, Tags May Change, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2020-09-02 22:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20253712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Loki is ruling Asgard and plotting against Thanos. But he knows he can't do it alone. So when he finds a secret that ties back to the currently-almost-dead Antonia Stark, he thinks he's found an ally. Once a certain sorcerer joins their cause, victory is surely assured?Because, really, who'd be stupid enough to go up against the King of Asgard, the Sorcerer Supreme and the Goddess of Death herself?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This may start out a little light-hearted, but I plan for it get darker as the story progresses. So, if it's not your cup of tea, turn back right now.

Loki stared down at the list and wondered just how many children had Odin sired himself, and how many had he lied about. It had taken him years of combing through the archives that had been forbidden to all but the king, searching for information about his own heritage, some sort of record of the day he'd been stolen away.

True, he ought to have been preparing for Thanos as well, but... He was posing as Odin now. That alone gave him quite an advantage. He could take some time for himself.

It was in those very archives, long after he'd found his own history, that he came across another record, in Odin's ornate calligraphy, which he was reading now:

_Hela, I fear, has grown too powerful. I can predict a day when I shall no longer be able to control her. At this moment in time, however, she is but young. Frigga can be persuaded, I am sure. _

_It truly pains me, for Hela is my daughter, my blood. But she is not safe for this realm, or indeed the Yggdrassil itself._

_At least, on Midgard, her powers will be limited, as her mind and soul shall be restricted to her human body._

_May the Norns forgive my cruelty, for there is no other way._

Loki suppressed his anger, his rage. His heart, however cold and broken it was, ached for this unknown woman, who had suffered Odin's decree long before himself.

Turning the page, he found a list of names, along with Midgardian dates. Hela's rebirths on Midgard, he realized. He started reading down the list in idle curiousity.

_Arya Stark_ _ 1027-1060 _

_NataliaEvenson: _ _ 1250-1305 _

_Elizabeth Richards: _ _ 1362-1449 _

_Malaika Das: _ _ 1537-1600 _

_Emeraude Santiago: _ _ 1700-1770 _

_Sherleah Holmes: _ _ 1813-1895 _

_Anto..._

Loki reading and rereading the name in shock.

_ Antonia Stark: 1987-_

Assuming his guise as the All-Father, he went back into the throne room. It couldn't be possible... Could it?

Concentrating on the astral plane, he searched for the mortal, who had, once again, captured his interest.

* * *

Antonia Stark shivered as the cold of Siberia seeped through the broken armour. There were frozen tears stuck on her cheeks and she could taste blood in her mouth. Her injuries might not be extremely extensive, but this cold would kill her. She could feel death creeping up on her. It tasted bitter. It tasted like heartbreak.

_I love you. I love you, just come back. Come back to me, please._

She couldn't even muster up any anger, any hatred. Steve had broken her heart and then her body for good measure, yet, she was too tired to do anything about it.

All she wanted right now... Rest. Just rest.

_ Steve, will you help me? Steve? Please, please just stay with me._

Her eyes began to slip close, her blood rushing in her ears.

_I don't want to be alone. Steve, Pep, Rhodey... Anyone. Can anyone hear me? Please. Please don't leave me. _

There was the muffled sound of footsteps and something tapping against the floor. A cane?

The golden hem of a gown appeared.

_ Let me die_. _Please, just let me die. Just... Don't let me die alone._

There was a flutter of wind over her face and everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

Loki observed the unconscious woman curiously, as the Healers made quick work of removing her armour, revealing a Midgardian outfit of black cloth. She was badly injured, almost fatal, if the alarm on the faces of the Healers were anything to go by.

"All-Father." One of them bowed to him. "We request you to leave us with her for now. Once she is redressed and healed, you shall be informed at once."

He nodded. "See that there is nothing lacking in her treatment," Odin's voice ordered. "She may be Midgardian, but she is no mere mortal."

Ignoring the confusion and curiousity on their faces, he left them behind, making his way to Heimdall.

"My king," the Gatekeeper greeted. "What brings you back here?"

"The mortal I brought back with me," he started. "I want to know about her."

He narrowed his eyes, almost unnoticeable. "It is unlike you to take such a keen interest in the lives of individuals."

Loki swallowed his nervousness. One of his few fears was Heimdall seeing through his act. "She is Antonia Stark, one of Thor's shield sisters. Since my son is still away, I want to know his friends are well."

His explanation seemingly accepted, Heimdall turned to the skies, his eyes gold. "There was a rift between the Avengers, as they are called. One half of them believed that they needed to be kept in check, as their powers could be a danger to others. The other half, led by the captain, seemed to think they were above such petty restrictions."

Loki wanted to scream in frustration. Months. He'd suffered months of torture at Thanos' hands, had fought for his mind constantly, had defied and invited his wrath; all to ensure that when the Mad Titan finally made his move, Midgard, the weakest of all the realms, would have warriors to defend herself.

And those very heroes, the ones Loki had worked so hard to bring together had allowed themselves to be torn apart, all because of a stupid disagreement and sky-high egos.

"Heimdall," he spoke slowly. This was going to be gamble. "What do you recall of my first child?"

Sharp golden eyes turned to him. "Sire?"

"My daughter, Heimdall. Hela. Surely, you remember her?"

The Gatekeeper stared at him, in something close to hurt, then looked away. "You had banished her from Asgard, your Highness. Then you had asked the late queen to cast a memory alteration over the entire kingdom."

"Can you see her?" Loki asked.

He got a reproachful look in response. "The All-Mother's magic far surpassed mine. Her spell still shields Hela from my sight."

Loki simply hummed. "Keep an eye on the Captain and his team. They may pose a problem later on."

"Your Highness?"

He ignored the question in his tone and walked back to the palace instead.

* * *

Toni shuddered. Her surroundings were weird. It was dark all around, a heavy mist hanging low in the air. She was laying down on sand, she realized, and began to sit up. There was a river nearby. Crawling closer, she peered into the water. It was pitch black, not even shades of blue or grey. She couldn't even see her reflection. What was- wait. There were tiny sparkling dots in the water. Were they a reflection?

She looked up to see an equally pitch black sky. No moon, no clouds, no stars. She looked back at the river. Not reflections then. 

Bending closer to the surface, she strained her eyes to see the sparkling dots properly. In her curiosity, she didn't realize how close she was, until the tip of her nose touched the surface. The water was freezing, but she didn't have time to get used to it, before something... Shattered?


	3. Chapter 3

The healers called him soon enough, just as he'd begun to shed his illusion for the night. The head nurse had a harried look on her face as she asked him to accompany her to the patient.

"She's in a blind panic, my lord," she explained. "She keeps screaming pleas for death."

They entered the room and Loki saw what she meant immediately. Bonds of magic wrapped around Antonia's limbs, as she thrashed around, screaming. "LET ME DIE!" She yelled, her eyes squeezed shut. "Let me DIE, you can't keep me here. PLEASE, just kill me!"

Loki noticed how the magical restraints seemed to be straining to hold her. That was a sign of confirmation then.

"Leave us," he ordered. The nurses filed out of the room. Antonia's eyes were still shut, but she seemed to have tired herself out and was breathing heavily, whimpering. 

"Open your eyes, Stark," he spoke firmly, forgoing the use of her given name. 

The sudden command worked. Her eyes flickered open, panic turning into anger as she caught sight of him. "Who are you?" She snarled. "Who are you? Just let me go."

How quickly her tone had changed. Fear and restraints had made her beg, but now she had stock of her situation, she was fierce and sure.

"You know who I am," he answered. "My son tells me you are a genius in your realm. Prove it. Look around yourself and make a deduction."

He watched her gaze flit around the room, taking in the bonds around her, the frescos on the walls and ceilings, all the obvious clues.

"I'm on Asgard," she realizes slowly. She turned to him. "You... You're Odin. Odin All-Father. Aren't you?"

"Very astute, Antonia Stark," he replied. "Now, would you like to explain why exactly you were on the brink of death and why you seem so eager to tip over the edge?"

She ignored him, still looking around herself. "Where's Thor?" She demanded. "Is he here? Did he tell you to keep an eye on me?"

"The prince is away on a quest to restore peace to the Nine Realms," he said, holding his impatience in a way the real Odin never could. "I merely took an interest in the people my son calls '_friends_'."

"Well, don't you win Father of the Year." Her words were mocking, cutting and intended to aggravate. But he didn't miss the sudden pain in her words. 

"You might find it helpful to tell me what's wrong," he said, gentling his tone. "Getting the grief off your chest might help."

Antonia's head turned towards him sharply. There was suspicion in her eyes. "Why the kind act?" She asked. "What makes me special, when you treated Jane Foster like a goat at a banquet table? She told me all about it."

Loki wanted to snack himself. How was he to have known that Odin had interacted with Thor's mortal pet? 

Antonia grew agitated again, fighting against her bonds once more. "What is going on here?" She demanded. "Why am I here and if you're not Odin, who are you?"

"Who I am isn't any of your concern," he snapped. "You are right that I'm not Odin. The old fool is exiled to Midgard. The commoners don't know. I am simply acting in his stead as he is truly too blind to be a proper ruler ever since the death of his wife. But I have to remain in disguise, as the people are not likely to accept me as their king." Norns, he really needed a vacation if he was venting to a stranger.

Antonia stayed silent. "Does Thor know?" She asked quietly. 

Loki snorted. "That would be a disaster."

"What am I doing here?" She asked again. "I totally get the compulsion to just take the reigns when no one else knows what to do, okay? I get that. I also understand what it's like when the people around you won't let you do your job, so you have to resort to underhanded ways. All that is fine. But what am _I_ doing here?"

Loki peered suspiciously at her. Odd that she should buy into his story so easily, even though it was mostly true. He would have expected her to be more... Wary.

Toni waited quietly. Not-Odin had a thoughtful look on his face and she hoped he'd believed her act of acceptance. If this guy was who she thought he was and still believed her, then she had severely overestimated his intelligence.

"I happened upon you by chance," he said slowly. "I have been searching the archives for old legends and information that may help us in the coming war. It seems... You have hidden potential that will be a great help to me."

She tensed at the words. "What '_war_'?" She enquired.

"Thanos," Not-Odin replied, anger and pain leaking into his tone. "He is a plague upon the Yggdrassil, the last of the Titans, intent on decimating half of all life. He sent the Chitauri to your realm four years ago."

Realization struck her, followed closely by horror. Everything made sense now. Loki's weird behaviour that didn't line up with his said goal of world domination (_"That was the plan." "Not a great plan."_), the vision Wanda had showed her, the mother ship hovering above the portal in New York, waiting for orders. This was it. This was what she'd been terrified of. Ever since she'd fallen back down that portal.

"How am I going to help you in any way?" She asked, somewhat bitter. "I don't have any intel about this, no way to gain said intel. I don't... I don't even have a team anymore." She refuses to let herself think about Rhodey or Pepper or Peter, because that would be inviting a panic attack.

"You have a gift for creation," Not-Odin said. "And you have a talent of death."

"Okay, if you're talking about my making weapons-"

"I am saying," he cut in. "That there are signs pointing to you having a proclivity for magic."

She stopped. "M- magic?" That didn't make sense. "How can I have magic?"

The old man- or the guy disguised as the old man- smirked, and the expression was familiar. "That is a story for when we start your training. After you recuperate."


	4. Chapter 4

It took less than a day for Antonia to start whining about cabin fever. It took three days for her to stubbornly leave the bed and insist that she be allowed movement around the castle at least. Loki understood better than he pretended to. He knew the feeling of being restrained, of being dependent on others' time and decisions. But, in this case, he did actually have Antonia's best interests in mind, if only because she would be of great importance to him.

So, instead, he found a way to keep her occupied simply by allowing her unlimited access to the library, also providing her with a scholar to teach her the basics of their language, so that she may learn. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he cited that there was nothing there he wanted to hide, and that he needed her prepared in an academic sense as well. She tried to act suspicious, but the lure of knowledge settled her nerves and that pleased Loki, along with the added benefit of keeping her from nagging him.

The first reality check came two weeks later when he entered the library one day to check on her. She was sitting with a book open in front of her, but instead of being riveted on the text like she usually was, she was blankly staring ahead with the smallest of frowns pulling at her mouth.

"Is there a reason you're unable to focus?" He asked curiously. 

She didn't startle, just shrugged. "I was just thinking..."

"What?"

She looked up at him, uncertain. "What's happening to my family?" 

He didn't know how to answer. At least, not in a way that wasn't likely to cause her pain. Still, he had no interest in lying to her, or keeping secrets, not when he needed her on his side. He knew firsthand how much that hurt.

"Your family mourns you," he said quietly.  
Antonia's face went slack.

"They think you had been captured by an organisation called Hydra. They would have searched, but the amount of blood left at the bunker all pointed to your demise. The attempt at recovering your body is still underway. In the meantime, the news of your death has been released to the public. They have been clamouring for the pardons of the Rogue Avengers. The Captain will be returning in two days."

Her breaths came faster and she blinked rapidly. "Can I go to them?" She asked. "Please," she added. "Please, I... They've been through so much because of me, I just want to tell them I'm okay. I promise... I promise I'll come back. You can even keep me on a leash if you want."

Loki shook his head, resolute. "You can't let them see you, Antonia."

"Why not?"

"Because, you know they'd never let you go again."

She stared at him. Several emotions flitted across her face: agreement, defeat, anger, hate, loss. Then it was all wiped clear. "I... I think I'll retire early today," she whispered.

Loki bowed his head respectfully. There was no guilt in him, just a sense of relief that she hadn't fought his verdict. He wondered if he'd finally became the monster everyone else seemed to believe he was.

* * *

Toni ran to her bedroom and locked the door behind her. She couldn't even make it to the bed before the events of the last week caught up with her, collapsing against the wall.

It hurt. It hurt to know that all her work towards the Accords had been for nothing. She'd been 'dead' for less than a month and the Rogues were back. 

And oh god, Rhodey! She fervently hoped FRIDAY would know to direct him to the blueprints for his braces. Hopefully, King T'Challa would be kind enough to help out with the construction.

Pepper. She'd put that woman through hell for years and now she'd never be able to make it up to her. At least she had Happy, though.

And Peter. Oh, that boy had so, so much potential, so much good in him. Maybe he was better off without her interference anyway. Maybe Steve would be a better mentor than what she'd tried to be.  
And the Rogues? Did they mourn her too?

Did Steve blame himself? Did he even care?

The thought of Steve brought with it the memory of her mother choking to death. Surprisingly, the rising anger calmed her breathing, giving her clarity.

Toni prided herself on being a pessimistic optimist. Yes, she was out of her depth, she was a puny human amidst gods, she was alone with only a suspicious character on her side. But she was Toni fucking Stark.

Surrender wasn't a word in her vocabulary.

Protecting the earth had always been her first priority and she was going to do it, even if she had to get in bed with the devil.

She was going to make this work. And when she was done, she'd take care of what she'd left back home or she'd be dead.

Either option was appealing. She could make a third one if needed.

Cut the wire. 


	5. Chapter 5

"First things first," Loki announced. "I'm going to perform a spell that will allow me to see if you have been in contact with any other forms of magic."

"I can just tell you," Antonia pointed out.

He resisted the urge to make a face. Antonia was growing antsy, he could see it. She'd been pestering to know who he really was and he was starting to get nervous around her, lest he let his identity slip. 

Right now, they were in a large circular room, equipped for training, that Loki had ordered out-of-bounds for the rest of the palace.

"There's more than a mere chance that you are simply not aware of it," he explained. "Up till now I wanted your body to heal, so it would be less likely to incur any damage from foreign elements. Now, since you are healed, a simple probing spell will not do you any harm."

The woman sighed, more for show than substance. "Alright, go ahead, check me out."

Loki resolutely ignored the not-so-subtle flirtatious tone to her words. He'd gotten quite good at it lately, because Antonia seemed physically incapable of making any less than ten innuendoes in a day. To be honest, it made him a little more apprehensive, because... Well, for one thing, Antonia was a desirable woman, in many ways. And he'd been lonely for so long, he was unsure how long he'd be able to resist her. And secondly, if Antonia was consciously flirting... Did that mean she'd worked out his identity? She already knew he wasn't truly Odin, but...

Steeling his resolve to be more careful, he brought his hands up to either side of her face, seidr glowing as he probed her soul, searching for traces of foreign magic. He had his reasons to be suspicious. He'd kept a passing eye on Avengers and was therefore aware of the treacherous witch who had joined them. Beyond that, he did not know much about her.

"There is a malice rooted inside you," he murmured, feeling Antonia's gaze turn alarmed. "Foreign and twisted to make you feel doubt and pain. Constantly."

"Maximoff," she breathed in realization. "But I don't feel any different."

"Are you sure?" He asked with a raised brow. "No feelings of self-loathing? Lack of confidence? Low self-esteem?"

Antonia didn't meet his eyes now, but fidgeted under his gaze instead. "Like I said," she muttered. "Nothing different."

Loki hummed, eyeing her speculatively. "Well, I'll have to study the nuances of Infinity Stones, before I attempt to remove it from your head. And until then, it's not safe for you to start practicing magic. So, we'll have to start you off with fighting."

She nodded, slowly, and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "It can be removed, right?"

Her trembling breath wafted across his lips and Loki swallowed, taking several steps away from her to gather himself.

"Yes, it can," he replied quickly. "Now, the wall behind you has several choices of blades. I want you to pick one that feels balanced in your hand."

Antonia raised a single eyebrow. "Blades?" She asked. "Daggers and knives and stuff?"

"Yes," he said primly. "Is there a problem?"

She shook her head, eyeing him speculatively. "Can I have a drink after this? You're welcome to join me. I owe you a drink anyway, right?"

Loki snorted. "It's been six years by your time. It's a little too late to be paying up now, wouldn't you say?"

Antonia smirked, sensual and mischievous. "Funny thing is," she said softly. "There's only one person whom I promised a drink six years ago. "

She waited for realization to hit him and it did. Along with it came a storm of terror, amusement and irritation at his own failing. 

"Pick a blade, Antonia," he repeated.

She obeyed, turning around and running her slim hands over the many blades.

When she turned back around, she grinned at the sight of him: dark-haired, green-eyed, standing tall as himself.

"Well, hey, handsome," she laughed. "About time, too."

Loki didn't bother replying. He charged, his own blades at the ready, forcing Antonia to parry with a strike of her own knife.

"Focus," he hissed.

She stumbled back, teeth bared in a dangerous grin. "Of course," she purred. "Focus. Shouldn't be too hard."

And so it went on, Loki barking out instructions, reprimanding her sharply, and all the time pretending he wasn't suddenly thirsting for the shine on her lips, wasn't tracking the thin trail of blood down her forearm from where he'd deliberately cut her. 

And Antonia simply teased- always with that wicked grin, head tilted so the light pooled on her collarbones, the long blades spinning deftly in her hands to show off the strength and dexterity of her fingers. 

She was playing him, Loki realized. She was playing him like a fiddle and if he wasn't careful, he was going to fall prey to her. 

Well, two could play at that game.

* * *

It was a little frustrating how good Loki's level of tolerance was. Toni had prepared herself for a difficult time; of course, it wouldn't be easy to seduce the god of mischief. She just hadn't thought it would be impossible. 

"Antonia!"

The admonishnent startled her to reality and she remembered that she was supposed to be sparring. Her current position didn't leave much to be desired, though. She was flat on the ground, Loki straddling her hips. His hand was wrapped around her throat, though, and any amusement Toni might have derived vanished when she remembered Thor's hand lifting her by the neck. 

Driven by panic, she reacted by twisting Loki's wrist sharply away. His body rolled with the movement on instinct and their places were reversed, with Toni pressing her knee into his chest and her hand tugging at his hair to press it back on the floor. 

"Moving a little too fast there, Lokes," she mocked, covering up the sound of her hammering heart. 

It didn't work with Loki, of course. His eyes narrowed, ignoring the flirtation. "Something just bothered you," he mused, too calm for a guy being pinned down. "I guess you are sensitive to your throat being held?"

Toni felt her smile tighten. "You are a sharp guy," she crooned. She made to get off, but Loki grasped her forearm, keeping it against his chest. 

"And," he continued. "I have noticed an aversion to cold." His eyes held a look of curiosity. "I wonder... Do forgive me for this."

She guessed what he was going to do a second too late to stop it. Loki's free hand cupped the side of her neck and it felt like a block of ice. Terror engulfed her, propelling her backwards, and in the next second, it was rage, heating up her skin again, warming her from the inside-

Toni stared. She had scrambled away from Loki and he was sitting up, inspecting the smoke that curled around his still-raised hand with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. 

"I think," he drawled. "We need to make a visit to Midgard."


	6. Chapter 6

Stephen was not, in fact, prepared for the sudden arrival of Loki on earth. So when the wards set up between all the Sanctums around the world started going off, he was thankful for all the hours he'd put in studying instant traps and long-distance spells.

Dropping Loki into a vacuum was surprisingly easy. Leaving a calling card for his companion, who he couldn't identify for some reason, was even simpler. 

It was a woman, clad in a comfortable hoodie, jeans and large sunglasses, who walked in through the Sanctum doors. She was cautious as she strode in confidently. 

Stephen floated up behind her, all ready for a dramatic entrance. 

"Welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum," he began. 

Then the woman turned around and Stephen could have sworn his heart stopped with shock. 

"Toni Stark," he whispered. 

A quaint eyebrow was raised and the sunglasses came off to reveal sharp gold eyes. "Dr Stephen Strange," she shot back. "Or is the title no longer in use?"

The flippant statement raised his hackles. "Did you stop being an engineer when you became Iron Woman?"

"Touché." Her grin became sharper. "Can I have my friend back before we move on to the important stuff?" A wicked dagger slipped from the sleeve of her hoodie into her palm. 

"_Friend_?" Stephen asked skeptically. He deliberately ignored the blade. "The egomaniac who attacked the planet is your _friend_?"

Her gaze hardened. "There's more to the story."

Am orange mandala glowed to existence around his fist, circling slowly. "I'm shaking with anticipation. Let's start with how you're alive."

There was a silence, in which Stark just stared at him. "Loki saved me," she replied in a quiet voice. "He retrieved me from a bunker in Siberia. Took me to Asgard. The Healers... Well, they did their job." She spread her arms wide. "I'm as good as new."

"So why come back? Why now?" Stephen asked. "Why not before? And why would _Loki_ save _you_?"

She shrugged. "There's an enemy approaching. We need all capable hands on deck."

Stephen narrowed his eyes. "What enemy?"

"Thanos," Stark said, something like fear coloring her tone. "And we need your help right now. So..."

Stephen weighed his options. "Okay," he agreed slowly. "If I let Loki go, can you promise he won't be trouble?"

She gave him an amused look. "Well, he'll be pissed. But I'll try my best."

With a sigh, Stephen waved his arm in a quick circle. A portal opened and Loki fell to the floor gracelessly. 

"I have been falling for thirty minutes," he spit. 

Stephen and Stark watched him leap to his feet in a smooth movement. 

"You!" He snarled. "Sorcerer! You think you can-"

"Oh, come on, Lokes," Stark cut in, with laughter in her tone. "Lay off the drama. He got the jump on you, not a lot of people can do that."

The anger on the god's face melted away. "Alright, I'll admit that's a point in his favour," he grumbled. He still glared, though, so Stephen decided not to let his guard down. 

"How about we begin from Stark's disappearance?" He suggested. He wondered whether or not they were also going to ask after Odin's whereabouts. 

Stark smiled sharply at him. "It's Toni, doc," she corrected. "Let's skip the formalities."

* * *

"So, Thanos is a Titan, the last of, who wants all six Infinity Stones, to destroy half of all life, who also was the one to brainwash Loki and send him here," Stephen recapped. "And you're telling me all this is for, what, wooing the Goddess of Death?" 

Both Toni and Loki nodded. 

Stephen sighed, gloved hands tapping together. Toni guessed they must be for hiding the scars from his accident. It had been a huge deal, she recalled, when the top neurosurgeon of the country had been forced to retire. He'd disappeared six months later and everyone had soon enough put him out of their minds, Toni included. 

Apparently, the guy ran off to become a sorcerer. Strange-1, Karma-0. _You go, Sabrina!_ Toni cheered him internally. 

"What about the goddess herself though?" Stephen asked. "Hela, right? Can't we talk to her, get her to put a stop to this? Or is she actually okay with it?"

"Of course, she isn't," Toni snapped. "She's the Goddess of Death. If she wanted, she could wipe out _all_ of life in a matter of seconds. Except she doesn't want to. Because there's this little thing called _balance of nature_, which needs to be kept." Her tone rose and grew sharper with every other word. In the back of her mind, Toni knew she was getting irrationally upset on the part of an entity who'd apparently disappeared. But really, it was stupid to think Death herself would want any part of this. 

"Thanos is nothing more than a creepy, obsessive, possessive stalker who can't take no for an answer." She finished her tirade with a large intake of breath and basked in the slightly impressed way both men were staring at her. 

"In any case." Loki interrupted her moment of triumph with a cough. "The Goddess of Death has not been heard from in centuries, since before my time and Thor's. We have no way to contact her as of yet. We do not even know if she will be willing to help."

"I think she will, if we could just get a hold of her," Stephen mused, still staring at Toni. There was a curious, calculating heat to his gaze and Toni fought the urge to fidget. "Because Toni is right," he continued. "Thanos has no place in Death's phone book. Life is her only true adversary, and her only consorts are Time and Chaos."

Silence fell in the room. Stephen lifted a hand to his chest, like he was searching for something. The tension in the room seemed tangible. 

Then the sorcerer turned to the mage. "So you want me to come to Asgard, give you the location of the Time Stone, undo all the binds on Toni's power, help in her training, and work with you on stopping Thanos?" There was a pause, where both Toni and Loki waited quietly, respectful of the need for a dramatic moment. 

Stephen gave a slow smile. "When do we start?"


	7. Chapter 7

It wasn't what one would call fun, Stephen decided. There were two layers of magic surrounding Toni. One was barely hovering below the surface of her mind, malevolent and threatening. 

"The spell is designed to make you doubt yourself," he said, keeping his eyes closed. They were in a lavishly decorated bedroom, sigils and symbols decorating the tapestries, ornament adorning the walls, carvings on the wooden frame of the four-post bed. He was sitting cross-legged, Toni mimicking his position in front of her, while Loki observed from where he was sitting- or, more accurately, lounging- at the desk. 

Stephen opened his eyes. "You really never felt anything different?"

Toni shrugged. "No different than how I felt everyday."

"That can't be right." He shook his head. "You can't seriously tell me this amount of self-hatred and low esteem for your own being is normal for you to..." He trailed off the uncomfortable glare he received. "Oh," he muttered. "That is your normal."

With an embarrassed cough, he resumed his own spell work. "Well, thankfully, the caster is not experienced. It was already considerably weakened." As he spoke, the last of the magic dissipated. 

Stephen held out the spool of red mist to show Toni and Loki. The magic crackled violently in his palm and he quickly crushed it. 

"You know, I'm surprised at you," he mused, eyeing Loki critically. "You couldn't undo a simple spell like that?"

"It was artificial magic, not natural like my seidr, of course I couldn't do anything about it." The king smiled smugly. "And that's why you could."

"If you're calling my magic inferior," Stephen spoke coolly. "You should know that it takes years of practice to reach my level. And yet, it only took me months. And as for artificial... You draw magic from the energy at your own core. I use the energy present in the universe around us. You can't get more natural than that."

Loki rolled his eyes, coming to join them on the bed. 

"So, what kind of magic will I have?" Toni asked. "Now that Wanda's spell is gone?"

"Same as Loki's, most likely," Stephen's presumed.. "That's why there's a damper on it."

He realized a second too late that he wasn't supposed to have said that. Loki was glaring at him, while Toni frowned, looking between them. 

"Damper?" She repeated. "Who would put a damper on me? And why?"

Stephen met Loki's gaze. _Tell her_, he tried to communicate with his eyes. 

He stared back. _You slipped. I was going to wait until her training started. Now you tell her._

Stephen sighed. "I suspected as soon as you defended the Goddess of Death," he explained. "Very eloquently, too, like you were absolutely sure of it, even though you have no reason to be. The damper I found just now confirmed it. It's not just blocking a major chunk of your powers, it's also blocking memories."

"Memories?" Toni repeated. "What memories? I don't have any memories missing." Fear was starting to creep into her voice from the somber way both sorcerers were looking at her. 

"Antonia," Loki said, in a firm, but soft voice. "You are not a mere mortal. You are the reincarnation of Hela, Goddess of Death herself. You are a daughter of Odin, by blood. And once you grew too powerful, Odin had Frigga cast several layers of magic on you. He erased all your memories of who you were, bound your powers and stationed you on Midgard, the least magically inclined realm. You have been reborn there many times now."

Toni's breath had started to come faster. "The All-Father is my dad?" She asked faintly. "And he... He threw me away?" As she blinked rapidly, both Loki and Stephen warily eyed the shadows that seemed to be growing larger and darker in the corners of the room. 

"It's what he does," Loki said, his own voice hard. "Throwing away people who love him because he's afraid of them."

The pain in his words seemed to jolt Toni out of her own shock. She stared at the prince. "Where is he?" She asked harshly. 

"On Midgard as well," Loki supplied. "In a home for the elderly. I put a somewhat similar damper on his essence."

"That's not entirely true," Stephen cut in. "He broke through the spell a couple months ago. Approached me and told me that he wished to remain hidden from all eyes. He wouldn't tell me anything more than that he was in Norwegia."

Loki cursed in Asgardian. 

"Look, he didn't seem interested in coming back here for any reason," Stephen consoled, because Toni looked like she wanted to find and gut the old king. "So let's forget him for now and focus on Thanos and training Toni."

Slowly, they both nodded. Toni still looked visibly shaken. She huddled under the covers. "I think I want to be alone right now," she said, in an offhand voice. 

"Of course," Loki assured. Sliding off the bed, he summoned a book bound in black leather and tentatively offered it to her. "This might be something you'll be interested in."

Toni took it with a nod of thanks and with a bidden good night, ushered them from the room. 

* * *

Toni stared at the title of the book: _**The Queen Of Hell. **_

The painting on the first page was of a woman. Her face was hidden, her head bowed, but her arms were outstretched and dark tendrils of some wispy substance curled around her fingers and feet. Her dress was just as dark, the black so thick it looked it had been painted with oil. 

Toni didn't bother with reading through the whole thing. She found the chapter labelled _**Her Dark Powers**_ and read the first line: _Shadows moved to caress her form. They did her bidding, with nary a word spoken by her lips. Her kiss brought death. Her eyes inspired a terror unimaginable._

Toni flipped to the last page: _Hela no longer resides in the universe. Perhaps she is ascended to Valhalla. Or perhaps her sinful nature has dragged her down to her own realm. Whatever it may be, her whereabouts are a mystery to all. _

Toni wrenched her eyes away from the text. The flames crackled in the fireplace as she stared at the shadows cast by it. 

Could it be...? 

Slowly, holding her breath, Toni focused on the dark patches interrupting warm glow on the carpeted floor. She tried to reach out them, tried to picture them moving at her will. 

A minute passed and nothing happened. 

Unsure whether she was disappointed or relieved, Toni put the book away with a sigh and fell back on the pillows. If Loki and Stephen were going to begin her magic training tomorrow, she needed her rest. 

As she fell asleep, she didn't notice the one shadow that had stretched from the mantel above the fireplace to touch the foot of her bed. 


End file.
